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THE SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF offers some parts where visitors can discover places unseen. Large hard coral reefs and vibrant colourful fish and marine life like turtles and manta rays are plentiful. This fantastic hidden eco gem destination begins just a 3.5 hour drive from Brisbane driving north toward Mackay, or fly in to one of the five airports within the region.

There are many interesting areas to discover including the Carlo Sand Blow and beautiful coloured sands of Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island, where you can stay with the Ecotourism certified Kingfisher Bay Resort and explore the largest sand island in the world (World Heritage Listed) – Fraser Island, also known as K’gari, is home to the Butchulla Aboriginal people. Have one adventure after another with Fraser Dingo 4WD Adventures.

Moving north from there is Harvey Bay which is an excellent point for whale sighting. Hervey Bay Dive Centre, Whalesong Cruises, Blue Dolphin Marine Tours, Freedom Whale Watch and Charters, Pacific Whale Foundation Australia, Boat Club Adventure Cruises, Hervey Bay Whale Watch and Tasman Venture offer whale watching cruises, and all are Ecotourism certified.

Photo credit Travel & Wildlife Photography, Pacific Whale Foundation Australia

Bundaberg is next where you can stay at Ecotourism certified Kelly’s Beach Resort and enjoy the unique experience at Mon Repos Beach turtle encounter. From November to January when the turtles emerge on the beach to nest and from January to March form a pathway to the ocean for the baby turtles as they begin their dangerous journey into adolescence with only 1 in 1000 turtles making it to maturity. Hervey Bay Eco Marine Tours have Turtle Discovery Tours. 

The beautiful Lady Musgrave Island is where you can snorkel and scuba dive. Lady Musgrave Experience offer various tours including the Lady Musgrave Island Day Tour; Sleep on The Reef; Tobruk Experience and Australian Whale Experience.

Photo credit Great Barrier Reef Foundation / Lady Musgrave Experience

The town of 1770 is next on this drive northward where 1770 LARC! Tours allow you to explore the Aboriginal heritage of this area. There are at least 44 Traditional Owner groupings with interests in sea country across the length of the Great Barrier Reef. Traditional Owners are making a significant and meaningful contribution to Reef protection already with more than 200 Indigenous rangers across the Reef catchments.  1770 LARC! Tours offer the Goolimbil Walkabout Tour, which is an authentic Indigenous hunting, gathering and tasting experience including a theatrical tour where you can learn about the wonderful culture that lived here sustainably for thousands of years.

Photo credit Australian Traveller, 1770 Larc Tours

Gladstone is next where you can visit the stunning Ecotourism certified Heron Island Resort and explore another island. Or, if that’s a bit far out to sea, why not check out Pumpkin Island just off the coast of Yeppoon? You can rent a cabin or bungalow; or the whole 6ha island to yourself, with eco-friendly accommodation for up to 34 guests in 7 self-catering units powered by the sun. 

Photo credit HeronIsland.com / Pumpkin Island

Then is Rockhampton with her stunning Sapphire Gemfields. At almost 900 km2, it’s one of the world’s largest sapphire fields, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere where sapphires and rubies are mined. Capricorn Caves have been open since its discovery in 1881. Visitors choose from a range of exciting and immersive experiences including daily wheelchair-accessible guided cave tours, wild caving adventures, abseiling, high ropes courses and team building initiatives. Winners of Tourism Australia Awards 2018 and 2019, you can stay in their lodges or cabins.  

Photo credit Booking.com, Capricorn Caves

Next is Mackay with its scenic and rugged park including rainforest, eucalypt forest, beaches, rocky headlands covered in hoop pines, and volcanic rock formations. Dense rainforest meets the ocean and fine sandy beaches fringe the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Mobs of wallabies meet on the beach to search for food dawn and dusk, making this iconic place much loved. The Yuibera Aboriginal people live in this region. Visit the Diversity boardwalk and Yuibera plant trail to understand the Yuibera people’s connection to this country, and their traditional way of life. Visitors can camp or stay in cabins. Stay at Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park to enjoy all of this!

Cape Hillsborough / Photo credit boyeatsworld.com.au 

For more information on our operators and what to do in the area, check out the links below or visit our Green Travel Guide.

Check out these for more amazing (certified) experiences:

• Capricorn Caves
• Kingfisher Bay Resort Group
• Hervey Bay Whale Watch
• Heron Island Resort
• Kellys Beach Resort
• Tasman Venture
• Boat Club Adventure Cruises
• Pacific Whale Foundation Australia
• Freedom Whale Watch and Charters
• Fraser Dingo 4WD Adventures
• The Shores Holiday Apartments
• Blue Dolphin Marine Tours
• Whalesong Cruises
• Lady Musgrave Experience
• Hervey Bay Dive Centre
• Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park
• Hervey Bay Eco Marine Tours
• 1770 Reef
• 1770 LARC! Tours
• Fraserjet
• Nomads Fraser Island Tours
• Palace Fraser Island Adventures
• Pippies Beachhouse
• Discovery Adventure Group
• Dropbear Adventures
• Rainbow Beach Adventure Company
• Surf & Sand Safaris 

The most recent training class – and the last one in 2019 – of the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program (STTP) concluded last week, as we connected with 40 industry professionals from across Europe and beyond who joined our training, followed by the annual GSTC global conference in Terceira, Azores. Our group, including participants […]

The post GSTC Training Offered to Stakeholders from 17 Countries – Terceira, Azores, Dec 2019 appeared first on Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

GSTC 2020 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference to be hosted in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, November 19 – 22 The conference will be hosted at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on November 19 – 22, 2020. The announcement was made in Terceira Island, Azores, on December 6th, […]

The post GSTC 2020 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference to be hosted in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, November 19 – 22 appeared first on Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

“Navigating the Way Forward” – GSTC 2019 Global Conference in the Azores The GSTC 2019 Global Sustainable Tourism Conference “Navigating the Way Forward” that took place on December 4th-7th in Terceira Island, the Azores, brought together 250 delegates from 42 countries, along with hundreds of viewers that watched the live broadcasting of the conference. […]

The post “Navigating the Way Forward” – GSTC 2019 Global Conference in the Azores appeared first on Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

Japan Tourism Agency has committed to formally adopt GSTC criteria as part of its tourism policy. Japan has ambitious plans to grow tourism arrivals, but is determined to do this in a sustainable way. To that end, the adoption of the GSTC destination criteria is a major commitment and act of leadership. Prof. Kumi […]

The post Japan Tourism Agency Commits to Formally Adopt GSTC Criteria in its Tourism Policy appeared first on Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

History has been made today in the far north Queensland Shire of Douglas, with the Port Douglas and Daintree destination becoming the first in the world to achieve Ecotourism Australia’s ECO Destination Certification.

The announcement was made during Ecotourism Australia’s annual Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference in Cairns, with the certificate presented to Douglas Shire Mayor, Julia Leu.

The shire, which first signed up for the certification program in 2018, has been working hard on the 100 criteria involved in the certification, of which it has met 80 to reach the ECO Certified Nature Destination level.

Photo: Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu receiving Douglas Shire’s ECO Destination Certification certificate from Ecotourism Australia Chair Claire Ellis

An onsite audit conducted last week by an international team of independent auditors assessed every aspect of the shire’s application in detail, including reviewing documentation, visiting key tourism sites and conducting interviews with council staff, community group representatives, service providers and the mayor herself.

Cr Leu said the ECO Destination Certification gave the region a big green tick of approval.

“Our vision is to become the world’s leading tropical visitor destination by delivering world-class sustainable tourism experiences,” she said.

Photo credit: Tourism Port Douglas Daintree

“The ECO Destination certification, through its rigorous auditing process, gives us credibility, setting Douglas Shire and its unique natural experiences apart from everywhere else.

“By focusing on the sustainable interactions with nature, we hope to conserve our pristine environment for our tourism industry and for future generations to enjoy.”

Ecotourism Australia’s ECO Destination Certification program was created in partnership with Green Destinations, an international non-profit foundation for sustainable tourism whose standards are accredited and recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).

ENDS

[Cover photo: Tourism Port Douglas Daintree]

Twelve of Australia’s leading nature-based tourism businesses were inducted into Ecotourism Australia’s Hall of Fame last night, for being ECO certified for 20 years.

The awards were presented during the gala dinner of the Global Eco Asia Pacific Tourism Conference, held at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, north of Cairns.

Induction into the Hall of Fame is an honour now bestowed upon 26 ecotourism businesses, the first of whom were entered into the Hall of Fame in 2018, 22 years after Ecotourism Australia’s certification program was fist launched as the National Ecotourism Accreditation Program (NEAP) – now ECO Certification.

Ecotourism Australia CEO Rod Hillman said that this year’s awardees were some of the leading ecotourism operators in the country, whose longevity and continued success in a rapidly changing industry was testament to their continued commitment to sustainable business practices and dedication to benefiting the communities and environments in which they operate.

“We are very proud to welcome these 12 operators into our Ecotourism Australia Hall of Fame. They are our nation’s true ecotourism innovators, and their leadership has paved the way for more responsible and sustainable tourism as we experience it today.

“In 1997, we had just eighteen operators certified under NEAP – the world’s first ecotourism accreditation program. Today we have close to 500.

“Our industry has come a long way, and operators like these continue to amaze and inspire us by how they run their businesses, the positive impact they have on their community and environment, the way they educate travellers and the ingenuity they continue to show in making our industry better.”

The Hall of Fame entrants for 2019 are:

• Billabong Sanctuary (QLD)
• Billy Tea Safaris (QLD)
• Cairns Adventure Group (QLD)
• Daintree Discovery Centre (QLD)
• Down Under Tours (Australia) (QLD)
• Everglades Eco Safaris (QLD)
• Grampians Personalised Tours & Adventures (VIC)
• Paperbark Camp (NSW)
• Tropic Wings Cairns Tours & Charters (QLD)
• Undara Experience (QLD)
• Far Out Adventures (NT)
• Yelverton Brook Eco Spa Retreat & Conservation Sanctuary (WA)